The Sri Lankan president’s handing over of 20,000 flawed land permits to families in the North-East is an act of bribery, warned the Tamil National Alliance MP M Sumanthiran.

The 20,000 displaced families had been selected to receive their land deeds several years ago and had instead only been given land permits months before presidential elections, noted Sumanthiran.

A workshop for journalists organised by Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) threatened organisers via text messages and posters.

Photograph: @AzzamAmeen

Posters were thrown into the Janaki Hotel hosting the TISL event, warning it not to let LTTE in to the building whilst journalists attending the workshop were threatened by texts reading “We will attack u if u attend.”

The body of a male has been found in a hotel in Vavuniya on Tuesday, reports the Uthayan.

Ponnuchchami Manoharan, a 33 year old from Chithamparapuram in Vavuniya, had been staying at the hotel on 1st Cross Street. His body was discovered in the toilet of his room by the hotel cleaners.

An Indian fisherman has filed a private complaint against the BJP leader Subramaniam Swamy accusing him of causing damage to property due to the damage inflicted on Indian fishing vessels by the Sri Lankan navy.

R. C. Kuppan, a fisherman from Nochikuppam filed the complaint on Monday, seeking Rs 100 crore in compensation on behalf of the 102 boats owners.

Speaking in Kilinochchi on Sunday, the Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa said if Tamil groups gave up their desire for independence then he would consider removing the executive presidency.

The European Commission announced a ban on imports of fisheries products from Sri Lanka, its second biggest importer in the sector, in order to "tackle the commercial benefits stemming from illegal fishing”.

Sri Lanka received a “yellow card”, a stern warning, in November 2012, as the country was not complying with international rules on illegal fishing and had inadequate control systems.

European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Maria Damanaki said that not much had changed since then, despite intense dialogue.

“The same problems are still there and are even getting worse. Sri Lanka is now authorizing huge vessels to fish in the Indian Ocean without marine GPS (VMS). This renders control totally impossible.”

“Sri Lanka is the second biggest exporter of fresh and chilled swordfish and tuna to the EU (74 million € of imports in 2013). In those circumstances we cannot tolerate not to know whether the fish they import into the EU was caught sustainably or not. EU citizens have the right to know what lands on their plate.”

The Northern Provincial Council is acting like the dog in the manger said the Sri Lankan president speaking at a function in Killinochchi, on Monday.

Mahinda Rajapaksa added that the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and diaspora would not be able to create an independent Eelam state in Sri Lanka reports the Uthayan.

Mahinda Rajapaksa accused the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) of hampering the government’s work to develop the area, reports Colombo Page.

Speaking at a public event in Killinochchi on Sunday, the Sri Lankan president said that the NPC was working against the government efforts to help the North-East in fear of losing votes from the public.

“They are not allowing us to do our work and they are not doing work either,” said Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Rajapaksa’s remarks come after the Northern Provincial Council chief minister rejected an invitation to a meeting chaired by the president, on the basis that it would be inappropriate to attend a meeting when Tamil speaking people continue to be marginalised